As the narrative that smaller artists struggle to finance touring continues to unfurl, its always a relief to see those acts fighting back with some of the most explosive and spellbinding shows out there— Heartworms know they need to go all out to sell their unique brand of goth-pop to a wider audience, and the dedication to make that happen was palpable in Rescue Rooms on Friday night. Teaming up with dreamy pop quartet She’s In Parties and aggressive post punk outfit Marvin’s Revenge, Heartworms’ dark aesthetic and impressive musicianship certainly left an impression, and has us jumping at the bit to see what Jojo Orme and company get up to next.

Marvin’s Revenge made very little fanfare as they took to the stage as the event’s opening act, with the three piece scampering on almost apologetically— the contrast to the group’s heavy, unrestrained sound was not lost on us. Across their thirty minute set, the band crammed in about as much sound as time would allow, filling the venue with wave after wave of crushing noise rock. Luke Eaton’s brooding baritone vocals rumbled throughout Rescue Rooms, often being bolstered by backing screams from drummer Job Gregory: they were suitably menacing, and combined with the crushing guitar and bass tone into a haunting assembly. The entire set’s sound design was immaculate, in fact, with the drum hits piercing through with a great sense of impact— Sammels-Moore’s guitar tones fit alongside nicely, even as they became more and more experimental and abstract with each track.

That aggressive, combative sound made up the vast majority of Marvin’s Revenge’s performance, and had us enamoured in its opening leg: we must admit, though, that that approach began to exhaust us as the show progressed. The band’s style was particularly one-note, hammering away at similar ideas again and again, and though the group’s passion or energy never wavered, it slowly lost its impact with each verse. When combined with some of the weakest stage presence of the night, this left a bad taste in our mouth by the time the final song rolled around. Make no mistake: Marvin’s Revenge had plenty of tricks up their sleeve, such as Sammels-Moore picking his guitar behind the nut for some wild effects during the closing track, but moments like these ending up blending into an overall enjoyable but exhausting show that kicked the night off a little too hard for its own good.

Switching gears entirely, She’s In Parties dispensed with the harsh orange lighting and strobes in favour of pastel pinks, befitting of their dream pop sound. The four piece brought a much more vibrant, eccentric energy with them, with singer Katie Dillon standing out immediately for her carefree attitude—though the launch into their breezy set was undercut by some vocal mixing issues and Herbie Wiseman’s guitar failing, the audience nonetheless found it easy to sink into such a warm, inviting sound. With those elements fixed, the show could really begin, and the She’s In Parties set would be carried by a gentle momentum from that moment until their very last.

Hopping between a number of recent hits including ‘The Times,’ ‘The Man’ and ‘Velveteen,’ the four piece were able to keep spirits high and feet tapping throughout the show, with every track feeling brighter than the last— Dillon was clearly have the time of her life, dancing to each song like it was the last time she’d get to, though no member of the group looked anything less than enthused to be there. Waves of synths often underscored each track, giving the show a soothing, glossy finish— these layers could have, or even should have, been performed live with a keyboardist, in fairness, but the overall effect was still palpable. Fitting alongside these hushed tones were the prominent yet never overpowering guitar and bass parts, which amped up the tracks to never heights for the live setting. Though it wasn’t the most stylish or memorable set of the night, we can’t really deny that She’s In Parties nailed their dream pop style, and that Dillon is undeniably a star in the making.

If there’s an element of Heartworms’ show that cannot be criticised, it was their entrance— marching on to ‘In The Beginning,’ the set’s opening choreography was simple but nonetheless dripping with style. The group’s visuals fit the gothic aesthetic to a tee, wth every member adorning more eyeliner and leather than you can shake a stick at, and the overall aura of confidence and cohesion from all four performers was intoxicating as they launched into ‘Just To Ask A Dance.’ With guitarist Flower Taylor and bassist Reggie Parks off to the side, all eyes were mostly on frontwoman Jojo Orme: it was a good thing she was such an engaging and distinctive performer then, commanding attention in every moment. Whether she was acting surprisingly shy between tracks, giving the most meaning death-stares you’ve ever seen or coming into the audience to let fans sing along, Orme proved herself a natural born star, near devoid of criticism.

The entirety of new album ‘Glutton For Punishment’ made the setlist, and no-one was complaining: each track had been amped up in the live setting, with the guitars more blaring and the drums more cutting than we’d ever heard them: existing somewhere between rock and dance music, tracks like ‘Jacked’ and ‘Warplane’ were as crushing as they were infectious, seeing the audience erupting into head-banging more often than not. Though only an hour long, the show was far from one-note as the ominous reading of a poem (backed by complete, unbreakable silence from the crowd) and the inclusion of softer tracks towards the end had us similarly spellbound— whatever Heartworms attempted throughout the show, they succeeded at, blowing us away in the process. We’d also be remiss not to mention Orme’s leading vocals, which were in, a word, utterly breathtaking, straddling the line between technically brilliant and emotionally resonant.

Our only real criticism for Heartworms’ show was that we wished it were longer— when the songs are this powerful, one can’t help but want the set to last into infinity (even when part of that feeling can be attributed to some poor pacing decisions). This masterful exhibition of goth pop, when combined with the diverse exploits of She’s In Parties and Marvin’s Revenge, had us transfixed from start to end, and we’re hungrier now for even more music from Heartworms than we’ve ever been. To quote Orme: “all I want to do is dance, dance, dance.”